Congo protesters ransack Ebola isolation centre

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Protesters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Beni ransacked an Ebola isolation centre on Thursday and it is possible that patients fled, Aruna Abedi, a senior health official, told Reuters.

The protests came in response to the decision by Congo's electoral commission on Wednesday to exclude the cities of Beni, Butembo and their surrounding areas from voting in Sunday's presidential election due to the Ebola outbreak and militia violence.

Protesters also attacked the office of the government agency coordinating the Ebola response in Beni before U.N. peacekeepers pushed them back, Abedi said.

(Reporting By Fiston Mahamba; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Toby Chopra)